LTC 340-2013 Noise Emanating from Rooftop of 6261 Collins Avenue i
MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
LTC NO. 3y0 - x,20/3 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Me bers of t City Commission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
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DATE: September 17, 2013 r7i - -
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SUBJECT: Noise Emanating From Rooftop of 6 61 Collins Avenue :r
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The purpose of this Letter to Commission (LTC) is to provide information'and update qn
the ongoing issue of noise resulting from air conditioning cooling units on the rooftop of
.6261 Collins Avenue and the City's ongoing efforts to investigate and assist with
solutions to mitigate the impact it is having on neighboring residents.
Complaints regarding cooling- system related noise were initially received by the Code
Compliance Division on September 7, 2013. Residents at 6301 Collins Avenue, the
property immediately north of the subject property, described the noise at the level of a
passing train or jet engine. Code Compliance staff (Code) has responded numerous
times along with Assistant City Manager Joe Jimenez from my office and Building
Department staff. Code assessed the noise level from several apartments, at various
floor levels in the affected building and during the day, the noise threshold does not rise
to the level of a violation.
The City's mechanical inspector went to the property and confirmed the proper
installation and function of this equipment. The chillers causing this noise are installed
properly and are functioning as per their specifications. The issue is that there is little
noise when one stands next to these units, but as the sound travels upward it becomes
amplified and bounces off of neighboring buildings.
Assistant City Manager Joe Jimenez has been working with the City's Building Official,
Code Compliance Director, Planning Director and the General Contractor for the project
located at 6261 Collins Avenue. The General Contractor has met with the manufacturer's
representatives in an effort to develop a solution to mitigate the noise. In the interim, the
Contractor has agreed to shut the A/C units off nightly at 9:00pm, restarting them in the
morning at 7:00am and has advised us that the manufacturer of the chillers is providing
him with sound suppressing wraps that should help. The Contractor is in the process of
drawing up plans to construct a buffer so as to prevent this issue from continuing. Those
plans should be delivered to the City within the week and permitted soon thereafter. The
newly proposed buffer should alleviate the noise and hopefully cure the nuisance.
As the Contractor is proceeding with implementing a solution, I have authorized
Assistant City Manager Jimenez to retain a sound engineer to evaluate the noise
impacts and suggest mitigation methods as well.
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LTC — Noise Emanating From Rooftop of 6261 Collins Avenue j
September 16, 2013 1
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Be assured that staff is keeping this issue at their forefront and is doing all that is
possible to keep affected residents informed.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
JLM9 aJC /RSA
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